Jean Louis Buffet was already making musical instruments as early
as the 1840's. In 1871, Leon Crampon became a partner. If you come across
an "F" preceding the serial number of an R13, this indicates
that the instrument has been built to an A442 - A444 and is intended for
use by European ensembles. The R13 was designed by Robert Carree, the
head acoustician for Buffet (c. 1950). This may have been the first intentional
use of the so-called "poly-cylindrical" bore design of the Buffet
clarinet. It became the prototype for all future Buffet clarinet designs
from that point onward. As a result, it may be safely assumed that anything
from #61,000 was manufacturered with this design in mind. Many of the
documents which contained accurate information regarding serial numbers
have been lost and as a result, there is a gap from 1946 - 1957. Buffet
states, however, that approximately 3000 units per year were manufactured
during this period.